Best Cities for LGBT Seniors: #7 – Tampa, Florida

Tampa and the surrounding cities of St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Sarasota, among others, have long been top destinations for seniors looking for a comfortable place to retire. The area is widely known for its warm and sunny climate, it’s beautiful sandy beaches, and its world-class golf courses. But it’s also great for anyone living on a budget with its low taxes, low overall cost of living, and very affordable assisted living costs.

Tampa is also a popular place for older members of the LGBT community to settle down. While there are no specifically gay districts in Tampa, there are many unique and diverse neighborhoods that are generally tolerant. There are also gay senior groups in the city, such asÃ‚Â Prime Timers of Tampa BayÃ‚Â and several LGBT-focused meetup groups. Finally, the city has numerous gay-owned businesses which receive great support from the community and from the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce.

Retirees from all walks of life want to settle down in a place that is fun and inviting, but also affordable and accommodating to the needs of older people. Members of the LGBT community have to be even more selective. Even in 2016 not all cities in America are particularly welcoming to those living “non-traditional” lifestyles and only a few select places have thriving social environments for LGBT residents.

Using SeniorScoreÃ¢â€žÂ¢, an unbiased, data-driven algorithm that determines the most accommodating places in America for seniors, we have determined the best cities in the country for retirees who identify with the LGBT community. The SeniorScoreÃ¢â€žÂ¢ evaluates over 100 variables across multiple categories that are pertinent to an area’s older residents, including access to healthcare, social and recreational activities, general affordability, safety, quality of environment, and more. Additionally, we analyzed the overall LGBT populations per capita for each city, the presence of gay-friendly social environments, support for gay-owned businesses, and the overall level of tolerance and legal protection of the communities.